SLNES I: Masters of Ethereal

What are the green indicators on the map? And how will settlements/mana places be shown on the map? Will there be any known initially that we can go after right away?

Starlife said:

erez: You need to claim a specific spot on the map. You can't be anywhere in the pitch black. I'll just put you somewhere.

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That's exactly what I wanted put me randomly in some great plains.

arya126 said:

What are the green indicators on the map? And how will settlements/mana places be shown on the map? Will there be any known initially that we can go after right away?

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I think you are just seeing the little grass icon. That just means grasslands/plains.

Towns will be tiny little building icons. Cities will be larger. Castles will look like castles. Mana centers are circles.

There will be two maps. One will show resources, borders, and citadels without any text. This is where you will see what mana nodes you have and what settlements you have. The other map will have borders, roads, and text of important places, rivers, lakes, and so on. Players can name landmarks as they see fit, but please clearly tell me what you want named.

On the resources map,
Cities will be numbered starting at 1. So you can look up population / gold worth / name / race.
Castles will also be numbered starting at 1. You can look up their unique unit / race (assuming you have scouted it out).

So instead of crowding the map with tons of names, you can just look at the number on the castle and search for the name and so on.

Each player does begin with mana nodes randomly around their Citadel. I placed them before claims began to randomize it. Same with settlements - all settlements were placed beforehand. You'll see.

OOC: Just waitin' for Terrance888 now. Well this thread has officially been flooded by OOC posts, which is more my fault. The interesting story intros posted earlier are hidden in here. If you can find them - give them a read.

Downriver from Hadhodrond, between the transition of forest/plains/hills on the river. If you wait for me, I can come up with a map.

Wendell stood, adjusting his crystal monocle. Bleak hills rose to the north, culminating into series of mountains. To the south the open woods darken into a vast riverine forest with high canopies. The clearing by the river of lush grasses and sparse trees also coincided with a ford through the land, and traffic, if rare, seem to bypass this natural trading spigot more often than not.

He walked his small stature up the hill. Already weakened by the shift, he felt his halfling body tremor in exhaustion. "No matter, I will finish my spell and settle here." He finally crawled to the top of the hill.

The view was magnificent. To the north, the clearing opens up to a small plain blocked by another arm of the mountain range. To the south east the forest darkens as it crowds the growing river while to the south west it fails, leading to a wide, nearly flat landscape. To the northeast the conscience of another wizard pulled at the mana at the earth as well, as a citadel is formed deep in the mountains.

He smiled, and closed his eyes. Exhaustion forgotten as magic flowed through him. The ground churned as the flat surface of a podium rose. Then, the ground around reached towards the sky. Animals ran as their burrows are disturbed as the river shook and fish jumped. In the distance, halflings looked up from their humble burrows to see the growing mountain.

The citadel was halfway complete, but the spell was done. It rose higher and higher, amplifying the intrinsic mana of the earth and sustaining his body. He kept control of the spell as he watched it grow taller. Its walls are decent, and wide like a hill. Its keep was hardening as patterns that enhance mana grew around the windows and defenses. He might need to expand it one day, but for now his spell will finish the job for him.

He looked down from the podium. A small crowd of halflings clustered around the podium where he chanted. One wore leather with patches of Netheryl, two of the others held polearms protectively. A halfling in silk looked at him, wide eyed.

He wove his special spell, one of the few he still remember clearly and opened his mind. The half-lings below gasped as the boundaries between the minds thinned and disappeared. Then, he set his own above theirs as they looked at him, eyes wide. He found their tendrils of thought and held them tight, enjoying his power.

"I am Wendell, this is Marburg and you will obey me."

"We serve Wendell the Tall, of Marburg Fords." They spoke. They walked back to their little bands to bring them to this citadel of wonder. Wendell chucked as he felt their plans. "Oh yes, my citadel is a creation of wonder. And it is only the beginning."

You gaze at the structure you have brought forth from the countless mana sources around you. It is magnificent. And apparently, beings of your kind believe so, too. As you begin to scout your surroundings, you gaze out and see floods of creatures flocking towards your Citadel. They chant your name and wish to serve you. In return, they plead with you to help them to find their own place to settle within your newborn kingdom. They pledge their allegiance to you and never to falter. They bring tools, knowledge, and other skills. You know this would provide not only a steady source of income in the form of tributes, but also a group of loyal citizens to guide your kingdom in the right direction.

You take your followers into your grasp. No matter how you treat them, they will always adore you. You are like a god to them. Just as you suspected, other Wizards are around you. You have been able to see what they see over time, using the Wizard's Eye. You have also been able to find other cities, towns, and even castles. This intrigues you. More people to place the borders of your kingdom around. And castles. Such a structure presents a unique challenge to you. You can feel the power coming from those places. The mana around them is highly concentrated. Indeed, this world is looking to be a place of great wonder.

It is Winter of the First Year of the Great Wizards. The mountains are covered in snow, while the forests live on, many with their leaves fallen, waiting for spring to regenerate. The southern plains and grasslands are also receiving a light dusting of snow. The capes are experiencing powerful gusts of wind. Yet amidst this cold, dry state, there can and will be growth. You offer warmth to those who would follow you.

Spoiler :

Direct Link to Map

Each Wizard has obtained 20,000 followers. This will create a 20,000-person city within 100km of your Citadel. You must specify to me: North, Northeast, East, Southeast, South, Southwest, West, or Northwest. Or you can mark it on a map. But it can not be any further than 100km from your Citadel.

Your borders have also already encompassed some mana nodes. Congratulations. Each one is worth 25 mana.

New Mana Sources
Hatred: 50 mana per turn
Inavi: 50 mana per turn
Hadhodrond: 50 mana per turn
Marburg Fords: 50 mana per turn
Stabila: 75 mana per turn
Ceros: 50 mana per turn
Lan'Elatair: 100 mana per turn
Burning Tower: 100 mana per turn
Gwynedd: 50 mana per turn
Haru Gom: 75 mana per turn
Thuggee: 50 mana per turn
Spiral: 50 mana per turn

You have also discovered several castles. You know only their race, and nothing else. Scout them to find out what their defenses are like and possibly even discover their unique unit. When you scout them, the number will vanish and their rightful name will appear.

Newly Discovered Castles
1: High Elves
3: Goblins
4: Halflings
5: Dwarves
10: Gnolls
16: Goblins
18: Barbarians
19: Dark Elves
20: Beastmen
21: Orcs

Great cities have also been revealed to you. You know both their race and their population. For every 1,000 people, each city has a generic defensive unit armed with pikes, shield, and chainmail (conscript quality). Cities also have as many trained generic race-specific units that they can upkeep with their gold worth.

Newly Discovered Cities
City Name / Race (Population / Gold Worth Per Turn)
Yalek / Orcs (11,000 / 44)
Tysis / High Men (13,000 / 52)
Asketra / Goblins (34,000 / 136)
Ruria / Beastmen (27,000 / 108)
Palinan / High Men (29,000 / 116)
Lydai / High Elves (20,000 / 80)
Choras / Barbarians (14,000 / 56)
Jolang / Barbarians (21,000 / 84)
Sephira / Dark Elves (41,000 / 164)
Griskglan / Gnolls (30,000 / 120)
Horagrid / Beastmen (21,000 / 84)
Noskepak / Orcs (23,000 / 92)
Endyli / Halflings (21,000 / 84)
Wirsmarch / High Men (31,000 / 124)
Omanis / Barbarians (12,000 / 48)
Herabrad / Dwarves (36,000 / 144)
Flyglan / Gnolls (16,000 / 64)
Senda / High Men (29,000 / 116)

Spoiler Starlife's Comments :

You must establish your city before you can start receiving gold per turn. However, starting this turn, you may begin to spend gold. Recruit troops from your Citadel or do whatever else you want to do with your starting gold. This is our first normal turn (hence Turn 1), so you can do anything in the rules starting now. You may also conduct diplomacy at this point via magical messenger crows or whatever other clever fantastic messaging system you can come up with. New castles and cities will constantly be updated and added to the ruleset. You can see a comprehensive list there. It might be best for you if you focus on conducting relations with a single city per turn, instead of spreading your efforts too thin.

Next turn is Spring, Year 1. Orders are due Wednesday, April 27.

Very beautiful map; just frigging gorgeous. Also, nice choice of art. Now i need to read the update.

Immaculate said:

Very beautiful map; just frigging gorgeous. Also, nice choice of art. Now i need to read the update.

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Thanks Immaculate. My updates will progressively get longer as more actual stuff happens. I didn't find it necessary to post about every Wizard raising their Citadel. But I hope even this small update tickles the brain a little bit.

tickled something anyway....

Immaculate said:

tickled something anyway....

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Awkward.

By the way, your Wizards know countless spells - the ones that you pay mana for are the ones that actually effect the game in some way (the really powerful ones). You can certainly do stuff like move stuff with your mind and light candles from a distance and so on.

EDIT: Also, it might be best for you if you focus on conducting relations with a single city per turn, instead of spreading your efforts too thin. That is one of the last hints I'll give.

EDIT #2: Added a paragraph with some descriptions about the weather right now. It is winter. But that shouldn't effect much unless you are going to war in the mountains. Your people should know how to navigate their terrain in all seasons, any way.

EDIT #3: Here is the map post on the main rules page. There you can find the permanent listings of cities and castles as they are discovered (though in each update I will include the new ones).

Safely surrounded by webs of defenses, both arcane and physical, within his citadel Wendell prepared to expand further. Already 20,000 halflings have pledged to his cause, although it drained local land of Halflings. There are no Halfling cities within the area although a halfling castle, known only as the fourth to be discovered, was former center of halfling culture, lay to the west.

So he extend his conscience towards it, aiming his Crystal Focuser towards the castle. Its defenses, although weaker than his own, stemmed him for a bit, but sought out weakness in its Armour and sought the mind of the Governor-General.

In air above the castle, he sent his message.

I, Wendell the Tall, offer greetings to you. I am a fellow Halfling, of Wizardly Status to your east and have introduced a new Halfling Nation. I am pleased to make your acquaintance and hope you will reply. I am not a forceful leader of our people, nor do I ask much. If we join together we can do so much more for Halflings and the safety of all peoples in Ethereal.

His mind's eye turned to the darkness northwest of the castle. "A messenger will come soon" he thought, "I should not waste more time to it." However, a few days, or maybe it was hours? Later anyway, he noticed a party of armed men and a diplomat leaving the castle towards his citadel.

He hoped they brought good news.

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An irritating poke shook him out of his gazing. "Didn't I already answer the messanger? Didn't I already chose the cite of the center of the Kingdom of Halflings?" But no, this poke was magical.

Two seeing eyes have tapped each other, and he felt the flow of the thought of Lord Athurdin, formost of each other's thoughts seemed to be "Lets get this over with."

Focusing on Athurdin, he wove his simple spell that will transmitt his voice to the Lord's citadel.
Greetings, Honorable Lord Athurdin of Hadhodrond. This is Wendell the Tall of the Halfling-folk. We are both wizards and leaders of our people. Warfare will serve the interests of neither of us for now. We are both still grounded in reality, surviving with the barest flows of mana. Our peoples are still spread out. Let us declare a period of peace, and name this river for this pact.

It was an act of good faith. King Landi of Horace's Point had sent just a small contingent of armed guards, along with some gifts. Local fruit, mostly, but also some ornamental gems from the lake. Truth be told, King Landi had never seen anything like the Citadel that now stood directly west of his proud, but old, castle. He could sense the power there, and he knew his mages could, as well.

Along with the armed guards, there were Halflings cloaked in blue, hoods over their heads, waddling eerily in the center of the contingent. Each one held a beautifully ornate staff carved from oak. Each step they took, the oak staff sunk into the thin layer of snow beneath, only to be lifted out with but a few flakes stuck to the bottom.

To the Citadel of Wendell, a letter was presented:

King Landi said:

Greetings Dear Wizard,

When I was but a boy, my grandfather told me of times long, long ago, before his time and the time before that and the time before that, that Halfling Wizards walked our world. To think that I would be contacted by one is truly exciting. My sages had predicted your arrival, and we had specially kept fruit from the growing season for your taste. I do not know if it will suit the tongue of a Wizard, though compared to the Halfling villages around, I dare say it is the best fruit in this region.

To the point, I suppose. We here at Horace's Point do have a bad habit of continuing to speak, or write, when such might not be required. We are an easy-going folk, but this has not come without hard work. Our love of the lake, and the Lady of the Lake, our sorceress-goddess, has given us pride and confidence in our dealings with Orcish bandits over the years. Yet their numbers steadily grow. We do not have such a grudge against the Orcs. In fact in years past we have even traded with the folks, especially when they required our nimble hands, and we required their brute strength. Yet the bandits are not after us because we are Halflings, but rather because we possess certain knowledge they would like to obtain. Were lowly bandits to obtain this knowledge, it would be a great danger to this region.

If you truly do care about the protection of Halfling-kind, I suggest you mind this valley, and watch for Orcish bandits. Once our mages were able to hold them back, but now, their numbers have grown. We fear something more sinister might be behind their recent encroachments. It is in both our interests if you rid the valley of these bandits, once and for all, and get to the bottom of their leadership, which has seemed remarkably organized as of late.

May the Goddess of Water be with you,

King Landi of Horace's Point

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The contingent from Horace's Point deliver their letter and trade words with some of Wendell's followers and even Wendell himself. It becomes apparent that in order to get on the good side of Horace's Point, certain deeds must be done and strength must be proven. The messengers leave Marburg Fords, but they leave Wizard Wendell with the five mages that accompanied them.

You have discovered the details of Castle #4.


Additional Comments: You now have 1 of Horace's Point's unique units in your command. Obviously you cannot train that unique unit because you are not in possession of the castle.

Terrance888 said:

Greetings, Honorable Lord Athurdin of Hadhodrond. This is Wendell the Tall of the Halfling-folk. We are both wizards and leaders of our people. Warfare will serve the interests of neither of us for now. We are both still grounded in reality, surviving with the barest flows of mana. Our peoples are still spread out. Let us declare a period of peace, and name this river for this pact.

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We, Lord Arthurdin, Lord of Hadhodrond, Master of the Dwarves, Magus of the Mind, Benevolent leader of My Followers, and winner of the Gorwell Best Pies award, Do so agree to Peace with Wendell the Tall, and all of Hobbitkind! (Or at least those under his rule.)

Before the end of the year, many freeorcs had left their homelands of the small, rolling hills in order to join the vally in which the Burning Tower stood. At first, many were skeptical of whether or not an Orc settlement was real there, let alone an entire civilzation and a leader. But the initial Orcs were pleasently suprised when it was no hoax, and told their friends and family to come. By the end of Winter, over 20,000 Orcs have left their various homes and swore allegiance to the Orc Imperium; the Inferno Crusade.

Ismordar climbed to the top of the Burning tower, where all 20,000 of his Orcs stood, waiting for a speech. And there, he spoke, saying, "Orcs, today is a day in which you will be able to say to your children's children that you were there. Today, you are here to witness the start of our Crusade to forge an Empire for the Orcs! The river you see to the back of you is our testament, both of the empire and the hardships to make it. It will our provide our farms with the highest quality of crops, but it will also be stained red with the blood of the fallen. However, it is where the heart of our emoire shall be. Eventually, whether it takes a year or a century, the river will be completely ours, and ours only. I can garuntee that. So go forth! Settle along the banks! This river, The River of the Blood, is now forever Orcish, and is now forever yours as a friend!".

The crowed cheered, and then headed Southwest, where he directed them. They would later found the first city, known as Isabella*. Going back to his studies, Ismordar thought about his best troops layouts, how his land contains more Mana than most of the other Wizards got.

*Urban Legend states that the city got the name from an Orc with a funny accent. When marching, he thought he heard bells ringing, and thus asked, "Is-a Bell-a Ringin?". No one knows for sure.

Arya was pacing up and down in his hallway. It truly was his hallway however, since it was physically impossible for any being from this world to enter it, due to his wards. But this morning, he was woken by a poke of magic. It was barely a whisper, the words being transmitted across a great distance obviously, but he was still able to make out a single phrase...

"...Be in the Krystal Hall at the Rasth..."

...Nobody but a Wizard from his home world would know about the Rasth. It was a certain time of day that seemed to grant him greater powers of perception, even greater control over his magical abilities. It was thus that he was able to defeat his greatest Rival, and it was just after the Rasth when he was at his weakest that he had been defeated and cast from his world. But now it seemed that somebody was trying to contact him.

There it was. His head snapped around to watch a corner at the far corner of the hallway, by the door to his study. A flicker of light. With a mere thought he teleported 5 feet away from the place in question, to be rewarded by the ghostly image of his greatest rival, Whosit. He seemed to have aged a hundred times over during the time since he had left, with wrinkles on his face, his hair a permanent gray, and his eyes full of sorrow.

"Ary-...". He flickered out, only to appear even weaker a few seconds later. Now, it was just possible to see his outline, and nearly impossible to make out any features. but Arya muttered a spell, and although he could feel it draining him extremely fast, he held on to it. Now the voice was clear as if he was in person.

"Arya. I see you have made it. Finally...your destiny has found you. I am glad that at least one of us was able to reach that fantastic place." Whosit's head seemed to jerk to the side, then turn slowly to face Arya again.

"Listen to me very closely. I am defeated. Any minute now, he will break in, and I have not the strength to resist. This is the last bastion to oppose him. If not for you, all hope may be lost with that. For once he is done here, he will come for you. he will come. Do not ever let your guard down. You must find Listrove. Listrove!" There was a bright flash of light in the image, and the image was gone. the last words that could be heard coming from the void were:

"He is coming..."

Arya pondered this closely. If Whosit meant what he said, then he was in danger. This whole world was in danger. Tambien could not be allowed to establish a foothold here. If he did so, he would become unstoppable. What he did with such a small amount of Mana back on Slithene...would be nothing compared to what would happen with such abundance of Mana here on Ethereal.

He then walked to the krystal windows to his left and watched the magnificent city being built outside his citadel. 20,000 elven creatures similar to himself had now flocked to him, and more came by the day. Soon, he could begin to expand. Closing his eyes, he took a breath and extended his mind.

It was like racing through a narrow tunnel with jagged edges of reflective glass staring back at you with all sides, not knowing what you are truly looking at. But if you looked beyond the surfaces, you could see the outline of the Ether racing by as he looked byond the immediate lay of the land. Soon, he spotted what he was looking for. he sped in another direction, going towards the buildings, racing to the tower that was raised the highest. Sure enough, he felt the touch of a fellow magic user. The difference...was that this one was Female.

Lady Elf of Sephira, you are in grave danger. I am Arya, known to some as the terrible, known to others as the cruel, known to all as the powerful. I seek a union between my city and yours, as we must unite to face the coming threat. Our cities are kin, both of us ruling over elven peoples, both of our peoples exploring the depths of magics that most know nothing about. I come to this world of Ethereal from a distant barren place, and it is my fear that great evil may soon follow me here. Itis my greatest wish to see our great race prosper and come to be known as the most magnificent of them all. But if Ethereal is wiped out, us along with it, that wish will never become reality. together, we could be Immortal! I hope you will consider this request along with this information. before he could withdraw however, he felt the strange touch of another mind. Oh how long it had been since he had touched another mind that even came close to his own...and this was was so elegant he thought that they might very well be kin. But if this shocked him, it was nothing to the fact that with the touch came a response...

Lady Elf of Sephira, you are in grave danger. I am Arya, known to some as the terrible, known to others as the cruel, known to all as the powerful. I seek a union between my city and yours, as we must unite to face the coming threat. Our cities are kin, both of us ruling over elven peoples, both of our peoples exploring the depths of magics that most know nothing about. I come to this world of Ethereal from a distant barren place, and it is my fear that great evil may soon follow me here. Itis my greatest wish to see our great race prosper and come to be known as the most magnificent of them all. But if Ethereal is wiped out, us along with it, that wish will never become reality. together, we could be Immortal! I hope you will consider this request along with this information. before he could withdraw however, he felt the strange touch of another mind. Oh how long it had been since he had touched another mind that even came close to his own...and this was was so elegant he thought that they might very well be kin. But if this shocked him, it was nothing to the fact that with the touch came a response...

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Who dare call the name of the Lady of Sephira?! Who dare meld minds with me at such a time? I am growing more and more ill every day. It is as if soon I will simply evaporate into mist, and that mist will flood this forest, and all living creatures will know my ways and know my magic. It is as if I am but a shadow under a great oak, carving doors in the trunk and slipping notes to the roots. I know who you are, Wizard, and I know what you seek and how you would seek it. But I do not care for your proposals! I am dying the death of an Elf corrupted beyond her mortal years. My city is decadent. It has suffered emigrations to other parts of the forest. The thousands who have stayed are gathering under smoketrees to worship their cults. They do not care for their Lady any more, for their Lady is in poor health.

There is one thing and one thing only that can aid me at this time. It is the Root of the Delilanore, a great willow found in the woods around your realm. Were just a small piece of this root be delivered to me, I could recover with the brewing of a special tea. The only problem is that the root cannot be taken by those ordered by the one who requires it. All of the expeditions I have sent there have come back dead. Ever since that time, none of my people wish to venture there.

Don't you see? The threat you speak of is nothing. I am dying, and my people are deserting me. If you assist me and I recover to full health, then we may speak to each other about your proposals and the future of this forest.

Lady Sephira is suffering from the Willow Plague, an extremely rare disease brought about by the overuse of forest magics.

So we do not have any starting forces? Will the new city we found generate income the same turn it is foinded?

Yes we can start spending our first income this turn. No I dont think we have any starting forces as we are new on this planet and our only followers are immigrants, not military units.

Can I settle my people around my Citadel?

Yes I think you can settle anywhere within 100km of it, including around it.